The Jersey City mayor took a big hit with the loss of the local Democratic Party leadership: Political Insider

View full sizeRichard J. McCormack/For The Jersey Journal Esmeralda Trinidad, left, Freeholder Jeff Dublin, and Freeholder Bill O'Dea have a good evening at Monday's Jersey City Democratic Organization party leadership election at the Moose Lodge on West Side Avenue. Dublin was elected chairman, Trinidad, vice-chair, and O'Dea, treasurer.

The selection of Hudson County Freeholder Jeff Dublin to head the Jersey City Democratic Organization on Monday was a significant act by the majority of the party's committee people.

By making Dublin chairman of the JCDO, the core membership of the party was saying it had no confidence in Mayor Jerramiah Healy as their de facto leader.

The mayor's choice for leading the organization was the incumbent, former mayoral aide Joe Conte, who was defeated 147-119. Dublin even received a 43-0 vote tally in Ward F. There are 366 committee people in the JCDO.

Healy knew what the stakes were, but you could not tell from his statement about the JCDO vote.

"The committee people were duly elected last week (Primary Election Day) and they came out and voted for their candidates," Healy said. "This is still the Jersey City Democratic Party and I will continue to support the Jersey City Democratic Party. I wish Jeff Dublin and his officers the best of luck and anything I can do to help Jeff and the Democratic Party I will continue to do."

With 100 committee people missing, the mayor and his circle of insiders were obviously caught flat-footed.

The combined forces of 31st District Sen. Sandra Cunningham, Downtown Councilman and mayoral hopeful Steven Fulop, and some of the disenchanted within Healy's ranks plotted the coup. Besides Dublin, the JCDO also voted other "coalition" candidates to important posts -- Fulop supporter Esmeralda Trinidad, vice-chair, and Freeholder Bill O'Dea, treasurer.

Monday's vote at the Moose Lodge on West Side Avenue had an electric feel. The outcome seemed to re-energize those citywide committee people who cast ballots for Dublin. Several said they felt they were relevant members of the Democratic Party again.

"We are about party building," Dublin told the Insider before the vote. He indicated that the focus of the party in the immediate future will be about voter registration and voter education. Plans are for monthly meetings and reaching out to traditional Democrats, including labor unions.

City Council President Peter Brennan said he was not surprised by Monday's vote.
"You could see this coming for more than six months," he said. The council president said that Dublin could have sat down with the mayor and the issue of chairmanship could have been worked out.

"You don't talk about unity and then stab people in the back," said Brennan.

When asked, Brennan said the vote would affect people's perception of the mayor. "Yeah, it has to hurt his chances," said the councilman, referring to the May 2013 municipal election.

POLITICAL INSIDER

It should be noted that the Hudson County Democratic Organization held its reorganization meeting last night at Bayonne's School 14. There were no surprises. Bayonne Mayor Mark Smith was re-elected to head the HCDeadO with I'm guessing about 55 vice-chairs. The meeting lasted 14 minutes.

The only mayors who attended the HCDeadO short seance, besides Smith, were Joe Smith of East Newark,Ed McDonough of Harrison, Weehawken's Richard Turner, and Healy.